Method

It’s easy to be intimidated by the idea of applying to college. The process is long, confusing, and more competitive than ever. But it doesn’t have to be that way. At Cambridge Coaching, we’ve reimagined the entire process, and we are pleased to introduce an entirely new way of applying to college. Instead of focusing purely on cold, calculated application strategy, we like to think of college as the ultimate motivation to reach your potential, both as a student and as a member of your community. We’ve found that if you can see how this crazy process is actually helping you to lay down a foundation for a lifetime of learning, creativity, and accomplishments, it’s so much easier to stomach all the work involved. That’s why our coaches don’t just help you with application strategy. Unlike our competitors, we know that it’s not essays that make a great application - it’s the stuff you put into your essays. Which is to say: it’s the work you do all along the way.

We take a holistic, comprehensive approach to the college process. Well before you’ve even contemplated your college essay, we’re here to think about the steps you can take so that you have the most fulfilling high school career possible. Our ideal time to link students with coaches is in the freshman or sophomore year of high school, though we are happy to help you whenever you are in the process. Whether this means pairing a student who is struggling with physics with an MIT Ph.D. who loves physics more than anything, or sitting down with families to discuss summer plans, we mentor our students through every stage of the process. Our coaches know what it takes to get into the best colleges in America because they’ve all done it. More importantly, they know what it takes to make high school interesting and rewarding, so that your essays, when you get there, will reflect the integrity of your efforts - and the breadth of your dreams.

Here’s what you get when you sign up for college coaching with us:

1

A mentor

Our chief priority is providing you with a mentor who is as serious about getting results as you are. Our coaches aren’t just graduates of the best universities in America; they’re experienced, well-trained tutors who know how to coax the best from their students. We’ll match you with someone who cares about who you are, what you learn, and where you’re headed. Instead of instructing you on how to “brand” yourself, or how to become what the colleges are looking for, our goal is to help you understand what you really want to pursue - and then pull out all the stops to help you achieve it.

2

A holistic approach

In everything we do, we think about how we can help you grow and develop as an individual, finding passion in learning and intellectual development. You and your coach will have an ongoing dialogue about how you are approaching the college process, including academics, testing, extracurricular activities, summers, and anything else that is relevant to you. Because any college application demands a significant number and range of accomplishments, it requires applicants to think broadly about their own development as people, not just students. That’s why our coaches are there to guide you through, and develop a sound strategy for almost anything that might come up in your high school career.

3

A coherent structure for your process

We treat the college application process as a one-on-one course in which in the final “product” is a gleaming application to your dream school. If you’re coming to us before your junior year, we will create a road map for you that will make sure that you always know what you’re supposed to be focusing on at any given time, whether it’s SAT preparation or moving into leadership positions in extracurriculars. We will check in monthly or bimonthly, and meet quarterly for 60 - 90 minutes to touch base, discuss your progress, and provide recommendations on next steps. These meetings provide an opportunity to spot any red flags in your academic work, create and implement a manageable testing strategy, and consider which extracurricular activities will be most rewarding for you. In the spring of your junior year, we will assist in the crafting of a preliminary school list and planning college visits. In the summer before your senior year through the first semester of senior year, we encourage one to two 90-minute meetings per week to produce the college applications, prepare for interviews, and weather the process. When students follow our uniquely structured approach to the college process, they are less stressed out and more successful.

4

A writing coach

Founded by PhDs in English, Cambridge Coaching takes great care to employ admissions coaches who are authors, editors, and teachers of writing, and who have unparalleled experience coaching people in their writing. Our service is a collaborative process, with students and coaches working closely together on crafting the final application. While we do offer copy editing and proofreading, we prefer to work with you collaboratively. As any writing teacher will tell you, writing is a series of steps: brainstorm, outline, draft, re-draft, polish, copy edit, proofread. You can accelerate these steps, but you can’t skip them. That’s the hard truth. But, a coach who understands how writing works can help you move through these steps as quickly and painlessly as possible, emerging from the process with an impressive final product.

5

The finest team of academic and test preparation tutors available anywhere

When you sign up with Cambridge Coaching, you gain access to a team of the best tutors available anywhere in any subject or test. Founded by PhDs at Harvard, we continue to maintain a staff of the most talented tutors in the world, including graduate-level experts in their subjects and standardized test preparation tutors with 99th percentile scores. Your coach can provide suggestions on how you can best leverage this team, so that you are using your resources strategically and prudently. For an overview of our academic tutoring program, please follow this link <http://www.cambridgecoaching.com/academic-tutoring>. For an overview of our SAT program, please view the SAT page <http://www.cambridgecoaching.com/standardized-testing-prep/sat> of this site, and for an overview of our ACT program, please view the ACT page <http://www.cambridgecoaching.com/standardized-testing-prep/act>.